Daisies grow beautifully not only in gardens but also at home. Most of the time, potted daisies or short varieties of pyrethrum are available for sale. However, you can also grow them yourself. For the house daisies to develop well, they need a well-lit windowsill and should be well looked after.

Modern cultivated daisies can hardly be called wildflowers today. It is the wild daisy. However, that is at the origin of all breeding of garden daisies. Daisies have won the hearts of flower growers for their delicate beauty. In Russia, daisies began actively planted in flowerbeds around the 18th and 19th centuries. In ancient Rome, the daisy was also revered, not only for its decorative qualities but also for its medicinal properties. In ancient Egypt, it was celebrated as the flower of the sun god. Today, the garden's perennial daisy is a credit to breeders and the subject of their long and detailed work.

The daisy is one of the most often-used perennial flowers in garden beds and containers worldwide. These low-maintenance flowers are fairly simple to maintain and come in various colors. There are more than 20,000 daisy cultivars, giving nearly every gardener a wide range of choices.

Since daisies aren't winter hardy, they are treated as annual flowers because they are classified as sensitive perennials. Daisies dislike frost, but if planted and taken care of properly, they will come back year after year in the appropriate hardiness zones.

Multiplication Methods for Daisy

As described above, the propagation of daisies can be done in different ways, and one of the simplest is by seed. Depending on your region's climate, seeds can be sown from April to May. After planting, it is best to cover the plot with polyethylene and wait two to three weeks for the seedlings to germinate with this cultivation method. It is advisable to harden the seeds before sowing to avoid sowing stress.

If you live in a region with an unstable climate, it is better to sow the seedlings in early April and plant them outdoors in May when the frost has diminished. To do this, fill containers with prepared or purchased soil, sow the seeds and place them on a window sill on the sunny side, and arrange for watering. When seedlings gain, two or three leaves can be planted in the open ground; given the temperature regime, the temperature should not fall below +15 degrees at night. Otherwise, the plant will simply starve. The best way to do this is to plant the seedlings in their socket so deep that the soil covers all the roots. The young plants can also be planted in the same ground they were sown in by removing the daisy from the container, placing it in the hole and covering it with soil, and pressing it down lightly when planting is complete, watering the plants with warm water.

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Daisy is one of those plants that grow quickly under favorable conditions. As large shrubs produce small flowers and the likelihood of fungal diseases increases yearly, the plant should be replanted every five to six years, with the shrub divided into separate families. The plants can only be dug up in autumn after flowering. Dividing the bush is not a complicated procedure, simply divide the bush equally, form a separate one, and transplant it to a newly prepared location. When the transplanting is complete, apply fertilizer. The propagation of garden daisies can also be carried out using cuttings. Still, this process is complicated and is used in practice by gardeners in rare cases where the root system of the daisy is damaged, or there is no possibility of collecting the seeds of the plant.

Daisies Varieties

Nowadays, quite a few daisy varieties differ in flowering time, size of buds, height, and other vegetative characteristics. Well-known types of daisies are always on the radar of florists and amateur growers like Marguerite Daisy and African Daisy. Gerbera Daisy, Shasta Daisy, Ox-eye Daisy, English Daisy, Painted Daisy.

• Marguerite Daisy

  Although it is a native of the Canary Islands and is only hardy in Zones 10 to 11, marguerite daisies are typically planted annually. You may grow this plant all year long in southern California and Florida. For a second display of color in certain regions, the plant can be trimmed back after bloom. Because it blooms in cool weather, this daisy is frequently cultivated as an annual in more fabulous locations to bring color to fall gardens.

• African Daisy

  On African daisies, daisy-like blossoms bloom every morning. The flowers have colorful, showy outer petals and a tiny "eye" in the middle. African daisies are available in various warm colors, including white, purple, red, and yellow.

• Gerbera Daisy

  Gerbera daisies are renowned for their vivid, brightly colored blooms in various colors, including orange, hot pink, and yellow. Substantial flower heads adorned in the most beautiful colors create the most beautiful bouquets. Gerbera daisies are attractive additions to container gardens and will draw butterflies. They were first discovered in Africa and are hardy in Zones 9–11.

• Shasta Daisy

  Shasta daisies frequently resemble daisies with all-white petals encircling a yellow core in peoples' minds. The plant has abundant summer blooms and is hardy in Zones 4-9. There are numerous kinds with varying heights, bloom sizes, and several petals per flower. This perennial daisy is a lovely addition to a garden of cut flowers.

• Ox-eye Daisy

  Additionally, the perennial daisy bears flowers that resemble the traditional white-petaled, yellow-eyed daisy. It is an excellent addition to a cottage garden and quickly expands. Each stem bears two or more flowers, easily measuring between one and two inches in diameter. In Zones 3–8, the ox-eye daisy is hardy.

• English Daisy

  English daisies are a sweet addition to rock gardens or containers because of their little blossoms. These chilly-season perennials work beautifully with mums, ornamental kale or cabbage, pansies, and other fall-themed flowers to create a stunning container garden outside your front door.

• Painted Daisy

  This perennial daisy features pink, red, or white petals with a yellow center. Painted daisies bloom nearly constantly from the beginning of summer until the first days of fall frost, making them a good choice for cottage and cutting gardens. When the plant is not in flower, the fluffy, scented foliage adds a lovely texture to the environment. In Zones 3–7, painted daisies are hardy.

Which Daisies Are Easiest to Grow?

Perennial varieties of daisies are the simplest to grow because, once they are established in your garden, all that is required of you is to deadhead the faded flowers. Most perennial daisies withstand poor soil conditions well. Thus, yearly fertilization is not needed. Certain taller types of daisies might need to be staked to prevent flowers from toppling over when in bloom.

Daisies that are annuals require regular watering, fertilization to keep them blooming, and deadheading spent blooms. They must also be replaced after the growing season if you want to have these daisies in your garden the following year. Given the proper care, annual daisies, as opposed to perennial daisies, which only produce color during a particular blooming season, offer immediate color that lasts all season.

Tips for Growing Daisies

Most daisies, whether annual or perennial, prefer full-sun to half-sun exposure. Full sun exposure is defined as more than six hours of direct sunshine, whereas part sun exposure is defined as three to six hours of sunlight. This is generally applied to states located north of the Mason-Dixon line. If plants aren't regularly watered, the harsher southern sun's searing heat can burn them to a crisp.

All varieties of daisies favor well-drained soil. Annual types will bloom from spring to fall if they receive regular irrigation and fertilization. Typically, perennial cultivars only bloom from spring until summer. For this reason, it's crucial to have a mix of annuals, perennials, and blooming shrubs in your garden to ensure that there are blooms throughout the year. Making a garden notebook or a weekly or monthly photo collection of your garden to track what is flowering and when is the best approach to achieve this. Then incorporate plants that bloom throughout the months when the color in your garden is absent.

Daisy Pests and Diseases

Daisies are immune, but like all cultivated plants, it is susceptible to certain diseases. The main feature in preventing the condition of the flower is prevention. Avoid stagnant water on the site; otherwise, the plant will be exposed to diseases such as grey rot, fusarium, rust, and other fungal infections. Before replanting daisy, treat the soil with a fungicide. Trim off dead plant parts in good time and use insecticides.

Daisy is well suited for decorating flowerbeds and flower compositions and will satisfy the requirements of even the most fastidious florist thanks to its unpretentiousness, easy care, and variety of varieties.

Conclusion

The Garden daisy is a herbaceous plant, 15 to 60 cm tall with a short root, an erect, slightly faceted stem, spatulate, crenulated source leaves on long stalks and oblong, irregularly serrated stem leaves, two of which are located in the upper part of the stem, are significantly reduced in size compared to the rest. Its flowers are hemispherical corrading inflorescences, 2.5 to 6 cm in diameter, arranged in shields.

Daisy can be grown as a seedling or as a non-planting method. Daisy seeds can be sown simply in the ground, but the seedling method is more reliable. Daisy seeds are sown for seedlings in March. Trays with cells are filled with damp, light, breathable substrate consisting of peat and sand in equal parts, put in each cell by 2-3 seeds, covered with a thin layer of substrate on top, cover the container with transparent film and put near a window, but not on the window sill because the light passing through a glass has too high intensity and can damage the process of germination of seeds. Keep an eye on the soil and moisten it with a sprayer as soon as it has dried.

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